We know it is quite challenging choosing which entertainment is best for your event; making sure the music is going to be a perfect fit, as they say; the music either make or break a great event. Deciding between a DJ or live band for your event can be a tough decision, to ease the process of determining, below are some points to take into consideration!
Cost
DJs are always going to be more budget-friendly than a live band. The DJ takes into consideration the equipment and also experience, they also charge on any other upgrade required, in some cases the venue for your event already have a DJ, so your cost for the venue covers the music entertainment.
A band, however, comes at a wide variety of prices depending on the size of the act (how many members form the group), the quality of the performance and experience. If the cost is out of your range and you still want live performance, you can go for a smaller group consisting of one or two people, which will be close to the same cost as a DJ but obviously won’t be the same as a big band.
Types of Music
Professional live bands will have an extensive collection of songs that they continually update usually between 200 and 500 songs, while a DJ, equipped with the memory of his hard drive can have tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands. However, a DJ will pick the same party hits a band will, while the remaining songs being obscure songs that are rarely demanded.
While the collection of a band is limited, an experienced group should have all the current favorites and also types of music to satisfy all ages in any event. The DJ will always play the original version of any song the same way as it was recorded by the singer. Some people will prefer to listen to the original version of any music.
Unlike the band, they add little spice and touches to the music and sing it their way, but if you prefer a band and wanted to listen to a special song you like, the band should have the capability to play a sound box or iPod through their speakers.
The Entertainment
When it comes down to entertaining your guests and ensuring your guests are connected to the music, a great live band stands out from any other form of entertainment. They come with life and energy to the stage, infectious energy on the audience, and then they are also visually great!
DJ’s cannot create the excitement that is created from watching a live performance and pull off that visually great element a great band would due to the fact that they are playing already recorded music. The DJ’s main weapon or energy tool in moving the crowd is volume, the music is loud with a pumped bass and great speakers to fine-tune the song, so the audience reacts to the smooth sound hitting their ears.
Songs that depend heavily on electronic beats and are created mainly with computer-generated effects like the ‘nightclub’ favorites and real party hits are what gives a DJ an advantage and edge over a live band, they are generally not convincing when performed by a standard band, they simply cannot pull this off.
The Timing
DJs don’t need so much time to set up prior to the start of the event, whereas live bands need more time to set each instrument, mic and also prepare themselves before the event, entertaining the early arrivals with light background music before the live performance.
DJs will be able to play music for an extended time with little or no breaks, except for the other agenda like; opening prayer, speech. While the live entertainers need more time or probably the same time with the DJ but with more breaks, depending on the members of the group.